Outcasts United by Warren St. John

Becky's Booktalks

A Book Talk of Outcasts United Adapted for Young People by Warren St. John. Punished 2012 by Delacorte Books.

Transcript:

Outcasts United Adapted for Young People by Warren St. John

Imagine going to a soccer tournament and facing a team made up of children from all around the world. Some of them may not speak English, but all of them are very good at soccer. You might find yourself wondering who these kids are and how they all came to be on one soccer team.

Outcasts United is a Narrative Nonfiction story of the Fugees soccer team, an all refugee soccer team based in Clarkston, Georgia. The story outlines how the team’s coach, Luma Mufleh, discovered the high population of refugees in Clarkston and worked to create a soccer team for them. The story follows the team during their first through third seasons and the many challenges they must face.

Throughout the story we learn about the circumstances that brought these boys to America. Through personal accounts we hear of the violence and religious persecution that caused families to flee their homes for refugee camps, some losing family members to death or separation along the way. After fleeing their homes, many of the boys lived in refugee camps for years before finally getting placed in Clarkston.

Life in Clarkston doesn’t come without its own obstacles, however. One of the reasons Luma is so passionate about coaching this team is to keep the boys away from gangs and violence. On top of that, the town seemed to be divided on whether they supported the soccer team. Multiple times, the mayor of the town displaced the soccer team from their practice location and during their second season, the team had to practice in a field that was not covered in grass, but instead was made of a dusty chalk-like soil and littered with glass bottles.

Yet, the team was still very good. Warren St. John paints a vivid picture of different soccer games the boys competed in. St. John describes the games in action-filled sports writing that will have readers on the edge of their seats as the boys make game-saving goals.

This book is perfect for sports lovers as it outlines the hard work the boys put into practice and the way that work paid off on the soccer field. Outcasts United is also a great book for readers who want to know more about refugees, and relates to the question: What experiences do children and teens go through as refugees and how can we help? This story shares the circumstances that cause someone to become a refugee, what life is like living in a new country, and how most refugees live in poverty. This inspirational story shows how one woman, Luma, had the dedication and persistence to help these refugees, how a soccer team taught these boys to be responsible and gave them a purpose in their new lives.

In the epilogue, we learn that Warren St. John was a reporter for the New York Times. He was able to write this book because he was in Clarkston, following the Fugees to write stories about them for the paper. The information provided in the book is based off in person interviews and St. John’s own observations of watching the team. St. John seems to have an unbiased opinion when writing this story and it seems to stick strictly to what the boys and Luma were experiencing.

After St. John’s newspaper article came out, the Fugees got many donations from interested people throughout the country. Now, the Fugees is more than a soccer team, but also a full-time school called Fugees Academy. The book includes a page telling readers they can find out more information at FugeesFamily.org